Page 440 - Canadian BC Science 9

12-1C
Modelling Moon Movement
SkillCheck
• Observing
• Controlling variables • Modelling
• Explaining systems
Materials
• Styrofoam® ball (half black, half white)
• pencil
• lamp with bulb
• paper
When viewed from Earth, the Moon goes through a sequence of phases. The amount of sunlit lunar surface visible from Earth changes as the Moon makes its way through its orbit. In this activity, you will design an investigation to model the motion of the Moon relative to Earth and the Sun.
Question
How does the Moon’s position affect its phases?
Hypothesis
Formulate a hypothesis about how the position of the Moon affects the phases visible from Earth.
Procedure
1.
Stick the pencil into the Styrofoam® Moon right on the line between the black half and the white half. The lamp at the front of the room represents the Sun. The illuminated side of the Moon (white) must always face the Sun.
2.
While one partner represents Earth and stays in one place, have the other partner move the Moon around Earth, making observations at the eight positions shown below. The positions represent the phase of the Moon at different points in its revolution. The view below is from directly above the Earth’s North Pole (NP). (Note: Change roles after the fourth position so each person has a chance to see the phases.)
5
3 42
Earth
68 7
1 Sunlight Moon
422 MHR • Unit 4 Space Exploration